Best New Jersey Poker Venues

Gambling in the US is synonymous with the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip. It has been that way since the early 1930s when the Neon Capital of the World began establishing itself as the mecca for games of chance. However, in the mid-1970s, New Jersey voted to legalize casino gambling in Atlantic City, and the center famous for its boardwalk has since held the claim for the second-most-popular gambling destination in America.

A pioneer in gambling legislation, The Garden State is responsible for dismantling Nevada’s sports betting monopoly in 2018. It also legalized online gambling back in 2013 and is now the US leader in online casino revenues, ahead of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. Naturally, online poker is in this mix as well, contributing significantly to Jersey’s tax revenues via the many available NJ poker sites.

Online gambling aside, if you’re a New Jersey resident or visiting and have an itch for card action, there are a few terrific venues that will satisfy your craving for a dose of poker. Naturally, you’ll find some of these by the pier and others close to Brigantine boulevard.  Let us review the best available options.

Borgata Hotel Casino

MGA Resorts International owns and operates the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, located at 1 Borgata Way. First opened in 2003 but subsequently renovated three times, this is the largest hotel in the state and the top-grossing casino in Atlantic City. The hotel features 2,798 rooms, and the casino floor is home to over 3,000 slots and 180 table games.

The venue advertises itself as the premier east coast poker room, and it’s just that. You can try your hand here at Hold’Em, Stud, Omaha, or other variations, and partake in terrific card games and fun tournaments. Their structures are usually straight forward, though if all the thirty tables are busy, you may have to sign in and wait for a spot to open up.

Harrah’s Resort

Vici Properties owns Harrah’s, and its sister company Caesars Entertainment operates the establishment. Located in the marina district of Atlantic City, at 777 Harrah’s Boulevard, it was the fifth casino in town, becoming operational in 1980. Harrah’s Waterfront Tower stands 46 stories high above the marina and is somewhat of a landmark in the area. Its casino floor houses 5,567 slot and video poker machines, as well as 140 table games.

According to players, with its 40 poker tables, Harrah’s falls only behind the Borgata in regards to quality poker in AC. The game spreads here vary on-demand, and you can find Texas Hold’em tables starting at $1-$2 for no-limit and $2-$4 for limit Hold’em. Harrah’s Resorts hosts daily tournaments, annual freeroll ones, and is the official home of the WSOP Circuit Events.

Tropicana Casino

Previously known as the TropWorld Resort, and now commonly referred to as the Trop, the Tropicana is another Caesars Entertainment property and the third-largest hotel in the state, with its 2,400 rooms. The resort also boasts a famous 200,000 square-foot entertainment and shopping complex called the Quarter. You can find it at 2831 Boardwalk, near the beach. It features an Old Havana theme and a 125,935 square-foot casino floor complete with 2,400 slots and 132 table games.

Though a viable option, the Tropicana is often seen as a less alluring poker spot than the Borgata and Harrah’s. In the past, it was all the rage and one of the busiest rooms in AC, but now it doesn’t have a wide selection of games or limits and struggles to complete with its eighteen poker tables. There is a lack of weekday tournaments due to low sign-ups, and the main offer here consists of ½ NL and some fixed lower-limit games. The Tropicana rarely runs higher-limit games.

Golden Nugget

Opened in 1985 as Trump’s Castle, rebranded as Trump Marina in 1997, Landry’s Inc. purchased the property from Trump Entertainment Resorts in 2011 and renamed it to the Golden Nugget. You can find it at 1 Castle Boulevard on 14.6 acres, which contains a casino, a nightclub, theater, seven restaurants, a nine-story parking garage, and more. The gaming floor is 74,252 square feet and holds over 1,500 slots and 82 table games, which include many casino-poker variants such as Let it Ride, Three-Card, and Pai Gow Poker.

The Golden Nugget’s poker room has nine tables located on the 4th floor of the casino. The room itself is luxurious, and you can play 1-3 No-Limit, 2-5 No-Limit, 3-6 Limit, and PLO here. Promotions include Rakeback, High Hand featuring a Money Wheel, Splash the Pot, Guaranteed Poker Tournaments with liberal comping, and more. Veterans consider this room an underrated one. It has friendly management, excellent dealers, frequent drink service, and skill-wise, it attracts some of the strongest players in AC.

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Euro Weekly News Media

Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

Comments